Udupi: For those who love diving into the deep sea and looking at sunken ships, Udupi should be the new destination. A merchant ship that sank about three decades ago is all set to put Udupi on the map of 'Wreck Diving', as the adventure sport is called.
The merchant ship that sank in the Arabian Sea between Shiroor and Bhatkal had been consigned to the history books. But the vessel, now lying about 100 feet deep, has come to life again, garnering the attention of divers after the Udupi district administration declared as safe to dive in
The divers can swim inside the ship and also experience the unique marine life under the sea.
“Instead of restricting tourism to tourist places, homestays and resorts, we are concentrating on activities that attract tourists, like water sports, Kudru tourism, scuba diving and boathouses”.
Mr Hariprasad of Karnataka Wreck and Scuba Diving came up with the idea that the ship wreck near Shiroor could be used for scuba diving. We felt this was an interesting concept and gave them permission," Udupi Tourism Department Assistant Director Anitha Bhaskar told Deccan Chronicle.
Mr Hariprasad said, "It is not for beginners as it is a tough dive and shipwreck dive needs experience. We take only experienced people who have done open water course earlier.
Any person who even does not know swimming can be taken for fun diving. But for wreck diving, one needs to be experienced. Our instructor will accompany the divers."
